Emergency medical services (EMS) can include medical care outside of a hospital (e.g., on site of an accident, on the way to a hospital, etc.), transport to medical facilities, and other medical transport for patients with illnesses and injuries which prevent them from transporting themselves. Emergency medical services can be provided by a variety of individuals using a variety of methods. Levels of services available through EMS can fall into three categories, which can include basic life support, advanced life support, and critical care transport.
Emergency medical services can be costly to a patient and it can be difficult for EMS providers to estimate revenues relative to the amounts billed for services. For example, the complexity with billing for medical services (e.g., insurance) and having to write-off billed services due to patients who cannot afford to pay for them can make estimating revenues for EMS providers difficult.